What The Good Samaritan Really Teaches Us About Safety, Trust and Asking for Help

The story of the Good Samaritan is often taught as a lesson about kindness.

But for many children, especially those who may already feel unsure about who to trust, the more important question is this:

👉 If something goes wrong, who is actually safe to ask for help?

What this story is often said to teach

We are often told that this story is about:

• being kind
• helping people in need
• not ignoring someone who is hurt

All of which are important.

But for children growing up today, especially those navigating complex social situations, there is another layer that matters just as much.

What this story actually teaches

The Good Samaritan also teaches us something more subtle, and more relevant to everyday life:

👉 The safest person is not always the one with the most authority.

In the story, the people you might expect to help do not stop.

The person who does help is not the one with status or position. He is simply the one who chooses to act.

That matters.

Because children are often taught, very early on, to trust adults automatically. To listen. To comply. To assume that people in positions of authority know best.

But real life is more complicated than that.

Why this matters for children and young people

Children are often told to “just tell your teacher” if something is wrong.

But in practice, help does not always come from the person you might expect.

It may be a school dinner lady who notices something and takes the time to listen.
It may be a teaching assistant, a support worker, or another member of staff who responds calmly and takes concerns seriously.
Sometimes it is even another child or young person who recognises that something is not right and encourages someone to speak up.

What matters is not the role someone holds, but how they respond when a child needs help.

Children are also often told to find a “trusted adult” if they need help.

But in real life, that does not always work the way we expect.

Sometimes the adult does not listen.
Sometimes the concern is minimised.
Sometimes the child is told they are overreacting.

And when that happens more than once, some children simply stop asking for help at all.

This can show up in very ordinary situations.

A child tells an adult that something feels wrong, but is told to “just ignore it”.

A young person asks for help and is dismissed because everything looks fine on the surface.

Or a child senses that something is not right, but feels unsure whether they will be believed.

Over time, this can make it harder for them to trust their own instincts.

Looking for actions, not just words

One of the most useful ways to explore this story with children is to shift the focus away from:

• what someone says
• what role or title they have

and towards:

👉 what they actually do

Because in real life, words and actions do not always match.

Someone may:

• sound kind
• say the right things
• present themselves as helpful

But their actions may tell a different story.

For example:

• someone who says “you can trust me” but asks a child to keep secrets
• someone who appears friendly but ignores what the child is saying
• someone who offers help, but only on their own terms

By contrast, a genuinely safe person may not say much at all, but will:

• listen carefully
• take concerns seriously
• respond calmly
• respect boundaries
• help the child feel heard and supported

This is not about teaching children to distrust people.

It is about helping them notice when something does not quite line up.

👉 Safe behaviour is shown consistently through actions, not just words.

This can be particularly important for children who have been taught to be polite, compliant, or to avoid questioning adults. Learning to notice actions, not just words, helps protect against situations where something feels “off” but is difficult to explain.

Real-world connections

This connects closely to the other stories in this series.

In Little Red Riding Hood, danger does not always look dangerous.

In The Fox and the Crow, not all attention or praise is safe.

In The Emperor’s New Clothes, people may stay silent even when something is wrong.

The Good Samaritan adds another important layer:

👉 Sometimes the person who helps is not the one you expect.

Supporting children to think this through

Parents and carers can use this story to open up simple but important discussions:

• Who would you go to if you needed help?
• What makes someone feel safe to talk to?
• What would you do if someone didn’t listen?
• How can you tell if someone is really helping?

These are not questions that need perfect answers.

They are starting points for building awareness over time.

Building a child’s understanding of help

One of the most useful things parents and carers can do is to explore, in a calm and practical way, what “help” actually looks like.

This does not need to be formal or complicated. It can be built up gradually through simple conversations and everyday examples.

It can also help to recognise that chronological age and developmental stage do not always match, particularly for neurodivergent children. Questions and scenarios can be adapted to suit the child, rather than expecting the child to fit a fixed stage.

Exploring a child’s “safe circle”

It can be helpful to ask children who they feel safe going to in different situations.

For example:

• Who would you go to if you felt worried at school?
• Who would you talk to if something didn’t feel right?
• Is there someone you would go to if you needed help quickly?
• Who would you go to if the first person didn’t listen?

This helps children begin to build a flexible understanding that there may be more than one safe person, and that it is okay to try again if needed.

Using simple role play

Role play can be a gentle way to build confidence without pressure.

Parents might explore:

• how to ask for help
• what to say if something feels wrong
• what to do if someone does not listen
• how to help someone else who may need support

For example:

• “What could you say if you needed help?”
• “What would you do if someone said ‘it’s fine’ but it didn’t feel fine?”
• “How could you help a friend if they were upset?”

What does help actually look like?

It can also be useful to talk through what real help looks like in practice.

For example:

• someone listening without interrupting
• someone taking concerns seriously
• someone staying calm
• someone taking action to keep a child safe

This helps children recognise that help is not just about being told what to do, but about being supported properly.

Supporting children with different communication needs

For some children, especially those with limited spoken language or who find verbal communication difficult, asking for help can be an additional barrier.

In these situations, it can help to build in alternative ways to signal that support is needed.

For example:

• a simple red and green silicone wristband to indicate “I need help” or “I am okay”
• red, yellow and green cards that a child can hold up in a classroom or group setting
• agreed signals or visual prompts that are understood by trusted adults

These approaches can reduce pressure and give children a clear, accessible way to communicate when something does not feel right.

Suggested reading

For families who would like to explore this story together:

• 📖 The Good Samaritan (Usborne First Reading)
• 📖 The Good Samaritan (Project Gutenberg)

As with the other stories in this series, families can request books through their local library service. Across Wales, all council-run library services are used to receiving requests from home educating families. For those living elsewhere, you can make the same request through your own local library service.

Closing

The Good Samaritan is not just a story about kindness.

It is about recognising real help when it is offered, and understanding that safety is not defined by titles, uniforms, or expectations.

It is defined by how someone responds when it matters.